Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9162 total)
3 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,817 Year: 3,074/9,624 Month: 919/1,588 Week: 102/223 Day: 13/17 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Moral issues and the Justice system or something like that
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


Message 113 of 171 (873687)
03-18-2020 3:35 PM
Reply to: Message 108 by Faith
03-18-2020 1:15 PM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
I accept everything God does as right
So...I'm just trying to be crystal clear here...According to you it is right to kill a child, infant or unborn if the God of the Bible does it?
I don't want to put words in your mouth. But it was the "right" thing for God to kill David and Bathsheba's infant baby for his parents' sin?

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 108 by Faith, posted 03-18-2020 1:15 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 119 by Faith, posted 03-18-2020 5:35 PM Aussie has replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


Message 114 of 171 (873693)
03-18-2020 3:54 PM
Reply to: Message 111 by Faith
03-18-2020 3:04 PM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
He's God, you're not, and someday you are going to answer to Him for such evil comments as that.
YES! And his just punishment will be...drum roll...torture and death!!!
You see where you always end up here?

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 111 by Faith, posted 03-18-2020 3:04 PM Faith has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 116 by frako, posted 03-18-2020 4:12 PM Aussie has not replied
 Message 117 by Phat, posted 03-18-2020 4:17 PM Aussie has not replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


(2)
Message 123 of 171 (873746)
03-19-2020 9:28 AM
Reply to: Message 115 by Phat
03-18-2020 4:11 PM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
Hi Phat!
Aussie knows organized religion well and has seen much hypocrisy. What we might ask him is what he would do if he found out that Jesus was actually real apart, before, and beyond the book. What would he hope Jesus to actually be? Would he have issues with God? (If so, that would be encouraging. I think that deep down we all have issues with religion and the authoritarianism we were taught. ) I can understand people who reject what they were indoctrinated with and with organized religion in general. I want to know how they would respond if Jesus were God and were actually in front of them?
There isn't a quick answer to this coming from my brain, and I don't have the time to compose an essay, but I'll do my best.
First, it's not that I'm necessarily turned off specifically by the hypocrisy in the Church. To be sure, it drips and chokes with hypocrisy overall, but that was never a "final straw" for me. The church was also filled with wonderful, generous people of all ages who would give anything to help you, and didn't have a single hypocritical bone in their body. In between these two extremes (Complete hypocritical charlatans and the true saints) was an ocean of normal people filling every possible spectrum between them.
But this is exactly what is found "in the World." Really bad people on one extreme, really good people on the other extreme, sandwiching an ocean of normal people filling every possible spectrum between them.
They are identical. Truly identical. Except one group believes they are the way they are because of magic. The way they are is normal, but they tell each other every week that they are different from the other outside groups...that they have more peace (The other groups cant even understand the peace we feel); more wisdom due to access to a mystical source of wisdom; more protection due to an invisible protective detail of extra-dimensional agents surrounding them, to not let them even "Dash their foot against a stone;" Extra joy that other outside groups can't possibly understand, somehow unspeakable and full of glory. They congregate and mill about telling each other these absurdities and reinforce it on each other constantly until everyone believes it.
In reality, they are identical to the world they tell each other they have been called out of. Power grabs in leadership, Happy people, sad people, wise people, complete fools, malcontents, peace lovers, rich, poor, selfish, selfless, thieves, adulterers, alcoholics, tea totalers, the free, the lifelong addicts to every substance that causes addiction known to man, athletes, the chronic, mortally sick. Every possible type of human is found in the church...and for the most part, they look identical to the way they would look if they were not in the church. But they have to tell each other that...somehow...they are different.
But they aren't. There is not objective fruit to see. You can see all of that in the world, or in Islam, or Hinduism or (name your favorite religion.)
Christians get sick at the same rate as everyone else; they are "Healed" of cancer at a rate consistent with the rate of remission in Buddhists or atheists. They die in horrendous accidents every day at the same rate as everyone else outside their religion despite their claims to having mystical body guards.
There is just no difference Phat. Zero. And what you are left with is trying to sell an invisible product to someone...a product with no demonstrable reality, fruit, or objective benefit. It's why for two thousand years the church has had to turn people off of searching for the "Wisdom of this world." It's why God had to choose "The foolish things of the world...." Otherwise you could see right through the bullshit being sold.
I know exactly what I would do if Jesus somehow let it be known to everyone that he was real. I would be the same person I am now...I'm the same person I was when I was religious, with just some behavioral changes. I was a young man headed into the ministry; I was relentlessly sincere, I despised hypocrisy and lived in a way consistent with my ideals as I understood them in Scripture. I wanted the young people who looked up to me to understand not everyone was a hypocrite. I never smoked, swore, did drugs, I spent 3 days a week secretly fasting before the LORD, The girls liked me a lot...and OMG I LOVED THEM BACK , but I put up boundaries and ended up being big brother to them more than anything. I "saved myself" for my wedding night. (Sorry, Too much info, but there's a point to this.)
Now that I'm an atheist, I still don't smoke or drink much; I'm not too good at swearing, although I'm trying to get better at it I have never had an affair; I still hate hypocrisy, My point is I'm still a totally normal person, the same as I was before. I didn't run out and get my fill of evil. I'm still not perfect, not by a long shot...but I wasn't perfect either when I was a sold out young man on fire for his God either. People are themselves, regardless of religion, and outside of extreme cases, people would be the way they are despite the religion they find themselves in.
What I didn't understand before (and what many Christians currently don't understand) is that life really doesn't change when you get free of the magical bear trap that is religion. You will be you...the same you...but freer.
I wanted this to be a more nuance response to your question about how I would respond if Jesus were real. But the short answer is simple: I would be me.
Oh look: an essay. Sorry.

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 115 by Phat, posted 03-18-2020 4:11 PM Phat has not replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


(1)
Message 124 of 171 (873751)
03-19-2020 9:45 AM
Reply to: Message 119 by Faith
03-18-2020 5:35 PM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
Don't ask me to judge the particular instances of what God does. It's enough for me to say that everything He does is right, I'm not going to get into making a judgment about every act of God's. Yes, every act of God's is right, you aren't going to get me to say anything more specific than that, and the only reason you want to is so you can pin something on me that is misleading when put that way.
I'm not trying to trick you Faith! This is not tricky! You are publicly defending the killing of Children, infants and the unborn in a thread that you started... a thread about morality! How do you expect not to be called out on this? How is this not directly relevant?
And what is all this
Don't ask me to judge
baloney I'm suddenly hearing from you? You are famous for throwing wild judgments about anyone and anything on topics you can barely comprehend, and now suddenly you quiver and render up your right to judge when your favorite deity is called out for deliberately targeting children to slaughter?
If you render yourself incapable of objectively evaluating the morality of the killing of children, infants and the unborn, then you need to just Shut the F*&%k up about judging the rest of us.
Edited by Aussie, : Dumb spelling...

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 119 by Faith, posted 03-18-2020 5:35 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 125 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 10:04 AM Aussie has replied
 Message 126 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 10:06 AM Aussie has replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


(2)
Message 127 of 171 (873774)
03-19-2020 11:21 AM
Reply to: Message 125 by Faith
03-19-2020 10:04 AM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
But no mention of a higher life? It doesn't necessarily make the people look different but there is an inner experience that many of us have that keeps us from going the direction you went. There is an inner peace "that passes understanding." It doesn't show on the outside.
Hi Faith, I understand what you are saying. That was my point when I said:
The way they are is normal, but they tell each other every week that they are different from the other outside groups...that they have more peace (The other groups cant even understand the peace we feel); more wisdom due to access to a mystical source of wisdom...
and:
And what you are left with is trying to sell an invisible product to someone...a product with no demonstrable reality, fruit, or objective benefit.
I ran out of time and the patience of Job while I was typing to Phat or I would have clarified this point further. What I was alluding to was that pretty much all you guys have is inner stuff. Because on the outside, you are indistinguishable from anyone else. Same illness rate, same death rate, same divorce rate, same rate of sex before marriage, same rate of adultery, same rates of wealth and poverty.
Everything on the outside is identical. Literally identical.
All you have is the inner stuff and it is no coincidence that the inner stuff can't be seen or verified. Like your invisible and hiding deity, all your fruit is also invisible and hiding. It's evident to all but those desperate to believe the lie.
I'm not accusing the average Christian of deliberate dishonesty, as someone who was able to escape from inside, I can understand the power of groupthink. But these magical, invisible indescribable feelings you have are crutches used to prop up and give the illusion of reality to your magical fantasy. Again, Groupthink is powerful.
You fasted for days, you lived the life, but why didn't the supernatural presence of God Himself take hold of you? Once you have that giving it up would be impossible I would think.
The presence of God consumed me Faith. I was born and called to this. I spent hours alone with him daily. He was all I saw. He was all I wanted. I remember praying to Him to let me die before I ever became an atheist.
That turned out to be another unanswered prayer.
I know you believe that this is impossible to give up...you have to believe it at all costs, because it's all you have left. But I was able to find real freedom, and real...truly real, non-magical peace in the real world, and I'm a better man for it.
Edited by Aussie, : No reason given.

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 125 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 10:04 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 131 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 5:04 PM Aussie has replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


Message 128 of 171 (873778)
03-19-2020 11:49 AM
Reply to: Message 126 by Faith
03-19-2020 10:06 AM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
AbE: The rest of your post is incomprehensible blather, I don't know what you are talking about.
I've seen you in your preening arrogance strut around "arguing" biology, geology, astronomy, oceanography, dendochronology, and so many more topics you are eminently unqualified to discuss, but when your fear, ignorance, and general loathing of all things unlike you are exposed for all to see you inevitably retread into your bullet-proof shell of ignorance.
"I can't possibly understand what you are saying..."
"This makes no sense at all to me..."
"My poor eyes can't read all those words on the screen so I won't even try..."
We have to define the terms among ourselves...again God is evidently absent from this conversation as He is in every aspect of reality, or I would let Him talk. All we have is each other and the words we use with each other.
I'm trying to get you to state what you believe in no unequivocal terms so we all can get to the root of your morals, but I have a feeling you are afraid to show the true foundations of your moral system to even yourself, let alone the rest of us. Again, this is YOUR thread and YOUR topic. Don't start a topic and run away afraid to talk about it honestly. Sorry if I get upset with you but you are as slippery and writhing as a live eel in your words, and this is your own topic.
But go cower in your darkness alone if you prefer.

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 126 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 10:06 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 129 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 4:29 PM Aussie has replied
 Message 130 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 4:36 PM Aussie has not replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


Message 132 of 171 (873836)
03-20-2020 9:24 AM
Reply to: Message 129 by Faith
03-19-2020 4:29 PM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
Gosh, every time I have a thought about how biology or geology actually support creation or the Flood do you want me to bow and scrape to Science first, apologize profusely for a paragraph or so before I venture to have a thought about it? Would that absolve me of "preening arrogance?" Oh probably not, because merely having a contrary thought about it at all is the offense, right?
Not at all, Faith. It would simply be nice to see a little actual understanding of science from you before you talk about it. Your "thoughts" about most of the science you talk about make it abundantly evident you are unable to begin to grasp the topic under discussion. I've been reading you on here for years. You don't even grasp the topic enough to be embarrassed about how little you know about it. But you just go on and on and on arguing with actual authorities on the subject. No one would care if you had contrary thoughts on any topic, if you could only back them up with a little understanding.

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 129 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 4:29 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 134 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 10:31 AM Aussie has replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


Message 133 of 171 (873840)
03-20-2020 10:05 AM
Reply to: Message 131 by Faith
03-19-2020 5:04 PM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
Christians used to be willing to die before they could be seduced into illicit sex for instance, and divorce was absolutely out of the question.
You have that backward. Christians used to kill people because other people had sex outside of what was dictated in the Bible. That's part of my problem with Biblical morality that you also are going to refuse to commit to, but I might as well try I suppose...
*sigh*
It is mandated multiple times in Scripture that the punishment for (using antiquated Biblical terminology) fornication, and for adultery was death. You have obliquely committed to the proposition that the killing of children, babies and the unborn was Just...although the more moral part of you refuses to call God's work as He does this "Good." I applaud you for that; I also strongly feel it is definitely "NOT GOOD."
Do you also call killing young people for having sex outside of marriage Just? Will you commit to this part of Biblical morality? Was it good when they killed for this?
I know, I know, Jesus did away with the stoning. He told the adulterous to "Go and sin no more."
But then he went and mandated Eternal torture for the adulterers. He lists that sin by name in Revelation as part of the group that will be cast into the Lake of Fire. So...are you going to commit to the proposition that young people and adults who have sex before and outside of marriage deserve to be burned alive and not allowed to die? You aren't going to answer this directly I think, but ... *sigh*
I only brought it up because of your former Christian life, wondering how you could have abandoned the powerful inner life I'm aware of. You seem to be claiming to have experienced it but then I have to wonder how you could have abandoned it.
I must say that the way you talk about it makes me believe you never really had such experiences at all.
I get it Faith... this part of you I understand perfectly, and I don't fault you at all for thinking this way. I'm not too old yet, 47, and leaving the faith never occurred to me until my early 30's. I actually found EVC forum when I was around 33, and I was searching online for reasons to defend Noah's Flood. Defend the Flood Faith, not disprove it. These questions...some of them about morality that I'm asking you...started piling up in my late 20's. I read everything I could to defend my Faith; talked to every minister, every Biblical authority I could find; and just like with you, all I got were ducks and dodges, and people assuring me that the Bible doesn't mean what it actually says. It became untenable. I was in the pulpit preaching things I could barely bring myself to believe anymore, becoming one of the hypocrites I had always despised. I had nothing outside the church, I had never operated outside of it's reach, and the world seemed cold, black, and unfamiliar. I sometimes liken it to Neo waking up outside the Matrix, if you ever saw that movie, just more gradually. I wanted desperately to be able to believe again. If I could have found a way to remove all my doubts and questions in those days and jumped back into my comfortable oblivion I would have done it so, so gladly.
But unanswered questions can be a bitch.
I get that you can't wrap your brain about someone abandoning the faith, I remember gasping at the thought of that myself, and I don't blame you for that at all. But try to understand me here. Don't fool yourself into thinking that what I had wasn't real, or I mustn't have been genuine in my beliefs, or my relationship with God wasn't of absolute dedication to serve Him, to fulfill his purpose for my life to my very last breath. That kind of brush-off of my entire life would be cheap and shallow.
Well, what can I say? That's your life and your belief, it's not mine though for some reason you seem to be trying as hard as any Christian evangelist to persuade me of it.
Yeah, that tends to happen on debate forums.
Edited by Aussie, : Clarification

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 131 by Faith, posted 03-19-2020 5:04 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 136 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 11:11 AM Aussie has replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


Message 138 of 171 (873850)
03-20-2020 11:38 AM
Reply to: Message 134 by Faith
03-20-2020 10:31 AM


Re: Kill the Adults and Leave the Children?
Just asserting that I show no knowledge of this or that without any evidence I might try to answer, is very bad form and I can only assert in return that I knoow what I'm talking about.
You've been here for 19 years, and posted over 35,000 times. You can't hide any of those words. The evidence is there. You can certainly assert that you know what you're talking about...you assert all kinds of ludicrous and untenable things all the time. but assertion does not require reality
After all the work I've done on my arguments I find this blanket dismissal out of the blue obnoxious in the extreme.
Except they aren't out of the blue. A lot of people with a lot of education and experience in the relevant fields have painstakingly, over many years, pointed out the errors in your thinking, and gaping holes in your knowledge, and guessed what you did???
...blanket dismissal out of the blue obnoxious in the extreme.
Yes, you have been obnoxious in the extreme.
Who are you to speak for science or for anything?
Well, my name is Rob, and I'm not anyone too important.
If you check my post history, you will see I have rarely interacted in any science forum here. Do you know why? Because I don't have any relevant training in science. My brother has a couple of Masters degrees in the Biological sciences, but not me. So because I am really unqualified to speak in the science forms I just read them and learn from those who do. You should try it sometime, it's fun.
I'm not completely without some knowledge of science. I went into aviation, and currently have around 200 international airline pilots flying all over the world that I helped train...several hundred hours in class with each of them. (A couple of dozen pilots per class)
Aviation can be a bit sciencey, but I'm not a scientist, so prefer to take a passive role in those forums, so you are again incorrect in your assertion that I have ever attempted to speak for science here or anywhere.
As far as your "Speak for anything" bit...yes. I do feel I'm someone who can speak about some things, apparently to your disapproval. I have a couple of degrees from Bible believing Christian Colleges...I have studied the theology, Bible doctrines, NT Greek, and hermaneutics courses they offered, so I do feel I can talk about theology in the light of Scripture. I am a moral creature, so I do feel qualified to participate in your thread about Morality. So...here I am!
You just popped up out of the fog, having never said a word about any of it before.
We have interacted for several years here, and I've been a member since 2006. Does that count as popping up out of the fog?
Edited by Aussie, : No reason given.
Edited by Aussie, : No reason given.

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 134 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 10:31 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 139 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 11:44 AM Aussie has not replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


(4)
Message 141 of 171 (873853)
03-20-2020 12:57 PM
Reply to: Message 136 by Faith
03-20-2020 11:11 AM


Re: This time around it's more offensive than hard to understand
People who continue in a sin without any repentance are among the wicked slated for the Lake of Fire. It's rather a long list, why pick out adultery?
Actually, I made quite a long list back in post 127. You are the one who picked extra-marital sex out the long list, so I went with it. I agree that the list is very long, and the punishment for all of them is death. Death and eternal burning.
Since the last post I made I came to the conclusion that you had been a true believer and gave it up.
That's not your conclusion to draw. The reality of my life is independent of your conclusions about it, and doesn't care about your conclusions.
but I don't understand how you could let your flawed moral standards judge God and reject Him on that flimsy basis. I resent your trying to pin your puny idea of morality on me as if that is the standard we should all adhere to.
My morality is simple on this thread Faith. In the topics we've discussed so far I've stated that
1. It is desperately evil to kill children and babies because their parents did something wrong.
2. It is also desperately evil to kill children and babies because of their parents' religion.
3. It is desperately evil to kill young people because they got horny and mated before marriage.
4. It is desperately evil to kill adults who have sex outside of marriage.
5. It is desperately evil to torture living humans who suffer under your hand.
I mean, in a normal world these would be no-brainers. Yet you find yourself here defending each of these propositions. You are wrapped up in some torture/death mindset, and you feel bad for me for escaping it into freedom? You are like some Kim Jong Un acolyte who can't understand why his friend escaped from North Korea and fled to the United States, even hoping he might change his mind and return one day. Yeah, but no thanks. I prefer offering life to offering torture and death.
How do you call these propositions
your puny idea of morality
?
What part of preserving life, and eschewing torture is puny?
I don't denounce you Faith. I unequivocally denounce your bloodthirsty deity and his morality of death and torture. I denounce any morality that undercuts America, and what it means to be American. I don't denounce you, I denounce the mind trap that controls you and makes you defend killing children.
Otherwise you seem like a very nice person.
Edited by Aussie, : No reason given.

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 136 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 11:11 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 142 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 7:05 PM Aussie has replied
 Message 143 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 7:59 PM Aussie has not replied

  
Aussie
Member
Posts: 275
From: FL USA
Joined: 10-02-2006


(1)
Message 144 of 171 (873880)
03-20-2020 8:01 PM
Reply to: Message 142 by Faith
03-20-2020 7:05 PM


Re: This time around it's more offensive than hard to understand
Good grief, you object to my concluding that you did believe as a true Christian but gave it up??? As opposed to thinking you never really believed?
It's just a gentle reminder that your personal conclusions have no bearing on reality.
One would think Christian theology would be the standard, but you'd rather make it up for yourself?
I mean, I have no doubt that American jurisprudence is far, far, FAR superior to the the Law of Moses.
The flawed moral standard I referred to wasn't specifically yours, it's the human standard since we are so unable to grasp God's.
I really don't understand what you are trying to get at here. I said:
1. It is desperately evil to kill children and babies because their parents did something wrong.
2. It is also desperately evil to kill children and babies because of their parents' religion.
3. It is desperately evil to kill young people because they got horny and mated before marriage.
4. It is desperately evil to kill adults who have sex outside of marriage.
5. It is desperately evil to torture living humans who suffer under your hand.
Can you please point out which part of these statements about morality is flawed. I literally fail to see a single flaw here.
No point in continuing Aussie. I wish you well.
You started this thread Faith. You wanted to talk about morality, and I said, "Okay."
I feel like you are just doing here what you always do. You can't defend what you say you believe, so you run away. You always end up running away. You've spent years running, and I see no reason why you should stop now.
Let's just be clear that I am willing to continue discussing if you are, but... you are apparently running.
Thanks for the well wish, but you've already warned me just a few pages ago that your Deity is ready to burn me alive.

"...heck is a small price to pay for the truth"

This message is a reply to:
 Message 142 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 7:05 PM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 145 by Faith, posted 03-20-2020 8:13 PM Aussie has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024